Hello John,

Welcome to the Tax Prep Digest, a publication from Prosperity Now that brings you the latest news from the IRS, TaxSlayer and our national network of Free Tax Prep Partners.

Today’s edition is going to have a special focus on the Taxpayer Opportunity Network Tax Season Debrief with is happening TODAY @ 2pm EST. You can read below for a bit more info, but please feel free to REGISTER RIGHT NOW to make sure your voice and experience this tax season is heard!

VITA/AARP/TCE Free Tax Prep Production as of 5/04/22

Free Tax Prep Sites Active = To find out the final regular season
Federal Returns Accepted = VITA/TCE/AARP numbers, you'll have
Federal Refunds Claimed = to tune into today's debrief to find out!

Updates

Prosperity Now

Taxpayer Opportunity Network Tax Season Debrief - May 5, 2022 @ 2pm EST

This webinar is a chance for you to share the amazing job that your programs did during the 2022 filing season and the challenges that were faced along the way. During the Debrief, you can also uplift recommendations and ideas for making the 2023 filing season better for you, your organization, and, most importantly, the taxpayers we all serve. Everything you share during the Debrief will help inform the reports, recommendations and strategies that Prosperity Now provides as the IRS plans for the upcoming tax season.

Tell Congress: #BuildBackForJustice!

As Congress reconvenes around a federal spending package, we need a strong push from advocates to urge Congress to fund our communities to build towards racial economic justice by expanding the Child Tax Credit and ensuring everyone has access to safe and affordable housing, regardless of zip code or income. Join us by emailing your Senators today!

IRS/SPEC

Message from SPEC: Thank you!

Frank Nolden, Director, IRS, Stakeholder Partnership, Education and Communication (SPEC), sends his heartfelt thanks to VITA/TCE partners and volunteers across the country!

VITA & TCE Applications Open and Accepted throughout May

Grants.gov began accepting applications on May 1 and will do so through May 31. Prosperity Now staff will be offering office hours to help VITA/TCE programs with application questions and troubleshooting throughout the course of May. For more on that, please register and attend today's TON Tax Season Debrief!

Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic 2023 grant application period is now open!

Applications will be accepted from May 2 to June 16, 2022, for the Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC) matching grants for calendar year 2023. When reviewing, please note that priority will be given to the underserved areas listed, but that all applications will be given due consideration.

Bookmark the IRS News Releases Page!

Stay updated on all the IRS news that is fit to print by bookmarking this page and staying current on everything that IRS releases as they release it.

TaxSlayer

TaxSlayer Customer Support: Off-Season Hours

TaxSlayer VITA/TCE support is now available Monday – Friday from 8am-5pm ET. Closed on weekends.

TaxSlayer Pro Online: What we know

A listing of all the technical issues that TaxSlayer is aware of. This is a good page to bookmark and check if you run into an issue in the software.

National Partners

Expanded CTC Outreach & Engagement Resources – Delivery Associates

With the aim of maximizing the number of eligible families who receive the CTC, Delivery Associates in collaboration with partners in the field, have outlined tactics from 2021 that were successful in reaching new tax-filing families, and applied these lessons to additional actionable strategies to test in 2022. This work was supported by The Rockefeller Foundation, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation.

FY22 VITA Grant Funding Issues

Still no FY22 VITA Grant funds in your account? Please contact Graham ASAP if you need help obtaining the funds you were awarded for this tax season. To date, we have helped 19 VITA organizations work with the Grants Program Office to receive their funding, and we are standing by to help you do the same!

The DelBene Tax Prep Dispatch

Source of the Tax Law

In this edition, recent recipient of the IRS’ prestigious Barbara DelBene Quality Award, Marshall Hunt, provides a primer outlining the various ways through which our tax laws are derived. With the off-season (or at least less busy) season upon us, take a moment to read through and get some much needed context regarding the rules that govern the work we do.